Actor Ian Smith, who portrayed Harold Bishop in the Australian soap opera Neighbours, has revealed that he has terminal cancer and will no longer be appearing in the show, reports RTE.
In an interview with Australia’s 10 News First, the 86-year-old actor revealed that he has pulmonary pleomorphic carcinoma, a rare kind of lung cancer.
Speaking to presenter Angela Bishop, he said: “I found out a few months back that I have cancer, that I have a very aggressive non-fixable cancer and they expect me to die,” reports RTE.
He later said of having treatment: “I’ve had three chemos – although the first one wasn’t chemo, it was immunotherapy, which is reasonably new, to the medical world. I’ve really put my hand up, I think, just to be a guinea pig, plus the fact I don’t want to die, I want to stay alive with quality as long as I can, and if they can do that I’m very happy. But I wake up every morning hoping there’s no pain because I know that’s the beginning of the bad part,” reports RTE.
A message posted on the official X account of Neighbours said: “Harold waves goodbye to Ramsay Street. We’re sharing the sad news that Ian Smith will soon be stepping away from the beloved role of Harold Bishop. Ian first played Harold in 1987 and it’s been a huge privilege to welcome him back to the show over the years,” reports RTE.
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